McCaskill back in uniform, rebuilding

SAN DIEGO – Kirk McCaskill, a right-handed starter on the 1986 AL West champion Angels, doesn't mind being a rookie again, this time as the Torrey Pines High varsity baseball coach.

"I knew what I was getting into — except for the part about putting on the uniform again," McCaskill said. "I was panicked. I thought, 'I'm going to look so fat!'"

McCaskill, 52, played 12seasons in the majors with the Angels (1985-1991) and the Chicago White Sox (1992-96), and posted a 106-108 record with a 4.12 ERA and 1,003 strikeouts.

In 1986, he had career bests of 17 wins, 33 starts, 10 complete games, 2461/3 innings and 202 strikeouts.

After his final season, McCaskill played 1997 in Florence, Italy, getting "closure" on his career by "playing baseball and drinking a lot of nice wine," he said.

His savings and a strong investment portfolio allowed him to retire at age 36, play golf and devote his time to being a family man to wife Dana, and sons Riley, 24, Reese (in honor of longtime Angels conditioning coach Jimmie Reese), 17, and Bennett, 14.

He coached his sons in Little League in Rancho Santa Fe, became a Little League board member and served as president for six years before the opportunity to lead and rebuild the Falcons arrived.

Hearing McCaskill had played in the big leagues, were impressed he had double-digit wins in six seasons, logged more than 200 innings three times and threw 30 complete games.

"Looking back, I think about how (bad) I was," said McCaskill, laughing, "but those kind of numbers look great because I played in a different era, when starters were expected to go long."

The players also discovered the still-handsome McCaskill made People magazine's 1991 list of Most Beautiful People. One day, the first-year coach arrived to a poster of his 1991 magazine spread on the locker room bulletin board.

"We have a lot of fun with Coach," Kansas-bound Falcons senior catcher John Remick said earlier this month. "He's supportive without being domineering, showing us how to get better and stronger without being punishing when we make a mistake. We like his style."

Comparing his years as a two-sport standout (baseball and hockey) at Trinity-Pauling (N.Y.) School, McCaskill was stunned by how serious, polite and academically dedicated his Falcons (13-17) are.

Some players didn't recognize San Diego Padres manager Bud Black when McCaskill brought him to a winter ball workout.

"It's a different generation and more about building character than just building baseball players," said McCaskill in full Falcons uniform. "I can get used to this."